Dokumentaarisuus

Dokumentaarisuus refers to the quality or approach of being documentary in style, particularly within Finnish media theory. It describes how a work foregrounds real-world materials, events, or conditions and presents them in a way that invites belief in their factual basis. The concept applies beyond traditional documentary cinema to films, television, photography, journalism, and art that seek to document or convey documentary evidence.

Key aspects include the use of real footage or archival material, on-site shooting, and naturalistic aesthetics aimed at verisimilitude. It also covers editorial choices such as material selection, sequencing, narration, and the presentation of witnesses or sources. Documentariness can appear in straightforward non-fiction works as well as in hybrid forms that blend fiction and reality.

In Finnish scholarship, dokumentaarisuus engages with questions of truth, credibility, and audience interpretation. It is concerned with how media constructs or legitimizes claims about the real, and how authority is established through evidence and presentation.

Critics emphasize that even ostensibly documentary works are mediated: editing, framing, and production decisions shape what is perceived as reality. Ethical considerations, such as consent and representation of subjects, are also central to debates about dokumentaarisuus.

The term intersects with broader discussions in film and media studies, including concepts such as cinéma vérité, direct cinema, and the use of archival material, montage, and documentary typography to convey documentary meaning.